A Perfect World: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
by Teekl
Summary: The Hamato family now has everything it could ever ask for; a perfect family, a perfect home...a perfect world. Oroku Saki hasn't been heard from in years - they've managed to remain hidden from him so far, and all seems well with the universe. But there are two sides to every story, and every rose has thorns. And suddenly, that perfect illusion comes crashing down around them.
1. Chapter 1

An eight-year-old Miwa practically stumbled head over heels down the stairs, giggling uncontrollably and reeling into the living room. "Chichi! Father!" The little girl scanned the room intently, blue eyes narrowing. Not surprisingly, it was heavily furnished. Wooden chairs made for toddlers lay strewn about; a wide array of playthings scattered on the carpeted floor provided a challenging parkour-course for any who dared set foot within a five meter radius of the area. Off to the side of the room, there rested a red satin loveseat, where Hamato Yoshi would curl up with Tang-Shen every night and look cozy as the couple watched their children play. Only now, the seat was accommodating the needs of a less frequent customer. She liked to keep her black locks sharp and short; her fair skin somehow managed to look pale even in the warm light of the fireplace. Her milky brown eyes were always alert; she was the first-borndaughter of the Hamato family. Miwa's sister.

"Father's not home right now, Miwa," Karai stated darkly from her lonely corner on the loveseat.

Miwa frowned, looking agitated as she crossed her arms and fixed Karai with a quizzical stare. "What do you mean? Where is he?"  
"I mean he's _out_," Karai repeated irritably, standing from her seat and returning her sister's stare. "Where he's going is none of our business."

Miwa sighed, slouching against the wall and sliding down it until she was sitting. She drew her knees up to her chest and hugged them, looking at the floor forlornly. "What about Haha?"

"Mother is making dinner. We shouldn't disturb her."

"I want her. Mother!"

"Miwa-" Karai started to hiss, but a shadow passed over the light of the fireplace, and a woman's silhouette was already framed in the doorway to the kitchen.

The moment only lasted briefly; almost instantaneously, Tang-Shen was in the room, drawn by the cries of her younger daughter. As always, her movements were hypnotically graceful, like a willow in the wind. She alighted next to Miwa, crouching down and placing a hand on the ginger's shoulder. "Do I hear my little Miwa-chan calling for me?"

Miwa nodded slightly, "Hai. Where's Father?"

Tang-Shen's face contorted into an apologetic expression. "Musume, he's out."

"But _where?_"

Tang-Shen lovingly brushed a strand of red hair out of her daughter's face. "I do not have any details for you, but I believe he spoke something of...going to get his daughters a surprise?"

Suddenly, the world didn't seem so bleak anymore. Miwa's face lit up, and she stared in disbelief. "A surprise?" she shot her sister an incredulous look. "Karai, a surprise!"

Karai cracked a smile, rolling her eyes. "Yeah, kid. Now will ya stop moping?"

Miwa wasn't even listening anymore - she was bouncing all over the room like a kangaroo. "When will Father get home? I wanna see the surprise!"

"Soon. Have patience, little one," Tang-Shen laughed, scooping Miwa up in her arms and cradling her there. "Oi, you're getting heavy, Mi-chan!"

"Hai, I have to get big and strong, because when I grow up, I wanna be a _kunoichi_, just like Father!"

Karai snorted. "Father's not a _kunoichi_, you airhead. He's a _ninja master_."

"_You're_ the airhead, you airhead!" Miwa protested from her perch in her mother's arms.

"_Yamete!_ No name calling," Tang-Shen instructed firmly, sitting down on the loveseat with Miwa in her lap. "No fighting."

Karai scoffed and leaned against the wall.

"Mother," Miwa peeped, tugging at her mother's kimono. "Mother, can you tell us the story? While we wait for Father to come home?"

Tang-Shen put on an oblivious expression. "Hmm, the story? Well, I know lots of stories, Mi-chan. You must be more specific."

"_Haha!_" Miwa cried in annoyance. "You know what story I'm talking about!"

Tang-Shen smirked, still holding Miwa in her lap, "Alright, calm yourself, little one." she settled down in the loveseat and got comfortable. "I'll tell you. Once upon a time, there was a great, noble, brave man named Hamato Yoshi..."

"...and that man fell in love with a be-_yooooo_-tiful woman named Tang-Shen!" Miwa interrupted, faithfully reciting the line that her father usually said.

"She wasn't at that part yet, Miwa," Karai muttered under her breath.

"Can't we just skip to that part?" Miwa inquired.

Tang-Shen's expression turned solemn. "No, Mi-chan. A story is not a story unless it is the whole story - both the good and the bad. You cannot simply ignore the parts that you do not wish to hear; ignoring something will not make it disappear." she tilted her head to the side, smiling weakly. "...to continue the story...Yoshi had a brother; Oroku Saki. Saki belonged to the Foot Clan...however, he was raised under the Hamato household. Yoshi and Saki grew up together, fought together, trained together, played together...naturally, they fell in love together."

"With the beautiful woman named Tang-Shen," Miwa confirmed.

"Yes, thank you for clearing that up for us," Karai murmured.

"I chose Yoshi," Tang-Shen went on. "We married, and, in time, had a beautiful baby girl. We were going to name her Miwa, but..."

"But Oroku Saki was jealous." Karai cut in, like an ominous, sharp-edged blade. "So he broke in, started a fire, whooped your rear ends, and then stole me."

A heavy silence blanketed the room. Tang-Shen and Miwa stared at Karai, concern and shock clearly written across their faces.

"That's what happened, isn't it?" Karai rasped with a glare.

No response.

"Isn't it?!"

Tang-Shen stared for a few more moments, in stunned silence, before regaining her composition. "Yes," she whispered. "He took you away. Raised you for the first four years of your life. But Yoshi and I...we had survived the fire. And we had never stopped looking for you. We heard that the Foot Clan had changed its base of operations to be located in America...so your father and I moved here, to New York, shortly after the fire, in the hopes that we would somehow find you...It was around this time that...we found a redheaded baby, in a basket, on our front porch. There was a tag attached to the basket...but the only thing it told us was that this red-haired child was in great danger. That she needed a new family. We took her in and named her Miwa, in memory of our...lost daughter. When we finally found you, Karai...saved you from Saki..." she paused to take a shaky breath. "...it took a lot of...adjustment. For all of us."

"What matters," came a familiar voice from the man at the front door. "is that we are all together now."

"Father!" Miwa squealed joyfully, dashing up to her father and latching onto his leg in an affectionate embrace. Karai hung back, staring at Hamato Yoshi with an unreadable expression.

"Yoshi," Tang-Shen greeted joyfully, dipping her head in a slight nod before rising from her seat and moving across the room to reach her husband. She placed a slender hand on his chest, tracing the collar of his shirt until her fingertips reached his shoulder. Her gaze slowly traveled up his torso until it landed on his face, where she found that her vision was locked in place. They stared into each other's eyes for a few brief moments. Up until Miwa started tugging at her father's leg.

"Father, what's the surprise?!"  
Yoshi gave Tang-Shen a rather unamused expression. "You told them!"

Tang-Shen gave a small shrug and a silly grin, "You were taking too long, I had to give them something to nibble on."

Yoshi shook his head and laughed, presenting his family with a box. "Yes. I stopped by the pet-shop today." He handed the box to Miwa. "Look inside."

In a matter of seconds, Miwa was cross-legged on the floor, admiring the contents of the box. "Wow! It's a _turtle!_" she giggled. "Father, I've always wanted a turtle!"

"I know," Yoshi replied evenly, the trace of a smile still fresh on his lips. "So have I."

Miwa gasped, holding the turtle up to the light and subsequently hugging him to her chest, "He's adorable! Let's name him Spike!"

Karai made a face. "Ew. That's unoriginal. Let's call the little runt Slash instead."

"I always thought a Renaissance name-" Yoshi started to say, but the girls were already arguing, and the words died on his tongue. He shot Tang-Shen a look. "Perhaps it would be best if we let them settle this dispute on their own."


	2. Chapter 2

"Harder," Shredder thundered, narrowing his eyes in disapproval. "You reptiles are _weak._"

Leonardo clenched his teeth. His white eyes waned to menacing slits as he pushed forward with all his might. The weapons-lock he'd had Donatello in was broken while the younger brother went flying across the room. D impacted the wall and crumpled to the floor, all but defeated. It hurt like heck, and he was sure that his shell was cracked, but Don didn't dare moan; it was a sign of weakness that Shredder would never tolerate.

Leo stared with an apathetic expression as his younger brother started to pick himself up off the floor. "Stay down, Donnie."

Don gritted his teeth. Get up and risk Leo creaming him even worse, or stay down and get flayed by Shredder for losing? Neither seemed like a very pleasant option. It mainly came down to which one would be more agonizing. Weighing his options only took a few seconds - he'd rather take a beating from Leo than Shredder.

With a bit of effort, he picked up his staff and staggered to his feet, assuming a ready position and shrugging off his brother's death glare. "Down, but not out, Leo."  
Leonardo frowned, "You asked for it."

"I'm winning this thing Leo, I mean it," Don protested, tightening the grip on his bo.

Raph, who had been kneeling next to Mikey on the sidelines, apparently decided that this was the appropriate time to make sarcastic comments. "Suuure you are, Donnie," he scoffed under his breath.

Don rushed forward, bringing his staff about to whack Leo in the noggin. The older brother ducked, and the bo swung harmlessly over his head. Meanwhile, Leo was already bringing his foot about in a sweeping kick. Donnie came crashing to the floor - his staff clattered out of his hand. He grunted, "I-I'm down, I'm down. Just stop." He knew this was a fight he wasn't going to win. Especially not in this condition.

He made eye-contact with Leo - his brother's gaze had returned to its usual shade of blue, and Don could see genuine regret gleaming there. It lingered as Leo turned back to Shredder. "Master, are we done here?" he inquired. As usual, there was a dark edge to his voice. Leo always tended towards a grim attitude, especially around Shredder. It was subtly evident that the eldest turtle would rather be someplace else. Heck, they all would rather be someplace else, maybe even Raph. But no one longed for change more than Leo. It was a more passive trait of his, but certainly not nonexistent. And where the other three turtles had generally learned to accept their lives, it was obvious that Leo refused to let it go.

Shredder's eyes were still narrowed. There was a threatening silence before he finally spoke. "You're dismissed...except for _you two_." he gestured towards Donnie and Raph with a scowl. "I must...have _words_ with you."

Leo and Mikey exchanged uneasy glances, obviously reluctant to leave their brothers behind. But eventually, they complied - they exited the room. And then there were three.

Mikey slumped against the wall, "Dude, if I didn't know any better, I would say that Raph handed his battle to me on a silver platter. I whooped his shell."  
Leo remained silent as he crossed his arms, fixing the youngest brother with an unreadable expression.

"Do you think Master Shredder would mind if we went out to get some pizza?" Mikey went on, glancing at Leo.

Leo narrowed white eyes at the floor. "He never said we couldn't."

Mikey's face lit up. "Awesome!" without waiting for any consent, he grabbed Leo by the arm and practically dragged him outside. "C'mon, Leo, let's _go_. I wanna get out of here!"

"You and me both," Leo agreed quietly, as they disappeared into the alleyways of New York.


	3. Chapter 3

Shredder stood from his throne, his menacing form silhouetted against the moonlight. It sent shivers down Donnie's shell. "I know full well that you both should not have lost your battles so easily."

Donnie gave a hesitant shrug, "Well, you know, Leo's a good fighter, and..."

"_Silence, reptile_," Shredder hissed, glowering from under his helmet. "You're distracted, Donatello. Who is she?"

Don blinked, trying his best to look confused. "Wha-who-no, I wouldn't...I don't know what you're talking about, Master Shredder." He winced as a stinging sensation cut through his shoulder, and three gashes appeared on the skin. "Ow," he yelped, cupping the wound with one hand.

Shredder sheathed his claws, looking unimpressed, "If your head was clear, you would have been able to dodge that."

Don sucked a breath in through his teeth, "Y-Yes, but-"

"I'm not in the mood to play your childish games, turtle," Shredder interrupted threateningly, then shot a glare at Raphael. "And _you_. You lost your battle on purpose."

Raphael crossed his arms, the slightest frown tilting at the edge of his mouth, "Yeah, so what if I did?"

Shredder snapped his leg out in a powerful kick; Raph staggered back and lurched forward slightly, clutching his stomach, but refusing to go down. "Do you take me for an idiot? Do you think you'll always be there to protect your brothers?" Shredder demanded.

"I can try," Raph murmured. "Mikey...wouldn't be able to handle this."

"And he never _will_ if you keep holding him _back_," Shredder snarled. "You're not sparing him any pain by shielding him. It will only make it that much more agonizing when he is forced to face reality."

Don knew there was some degree of truth in that; they were naturally overprotective of the youngest turtle...still, taking a beating every time he lost a battle...Mikey might not be able to take that kind of punishment as well as the others.

Shredder scowled at Raph again, "Leave us. But know this: the next time you lose a battle...it's _Michelangelo_ who's going to pay for it."

Raph's eyes widened, "That's not _fair!_"

"Neither is _life_," Shredder retorted. "Now get out of my sight before I smack you down, child."

Raph balled his hands into fists, "I would rather-"

"Raph," Don interceded gently, shooting his brother a regretful look. "That won't help anyone."

Raph forced out an irritated breath. There weren't that many options right now. "Hai...Master Shredder," he conceded, with strained patience. Fixing his black mask, he whirled around and stormed off, his fists still clenched. Sometimes, it truly felt like Shredder hated them for no reason.

Raphael emerged from Shredder's throne room looking mildly annoyed, "I can't believe...I shouldn't have...he's just _so_..." he threw his hands up in exasperation. "There's gotta be some sorta loophole, here."

"Well, well," came a voice from the shadows. "Looks like somebody's having a bad day."

Raph rolled his eyes, "Now _there's_ a voice I wish I didn't have to hear again."

"Sadly, working under the same master has the nasty tendency to bring us together - about twenty times more often than we'd like," Xever quipped, his switchblade twirling around on his fingertips.

"Yeah, it'll do that," Raph remarked bitterly.

"I would like to get this over with as quickly as possible-"

"Hello. Goodbye. Nice chat. See ya," Raph said, waving an arm as he started to walk away.

"-but I have a mission for us."

Raph froze, tossing a glance back at Xever. "What are you talking about?"

Xever sighed. "Well...it appears that I've...made a little..._slip-up_."

Raph smirked, "What? _You?_" he remarked sarcastically. "Get out."

"Watch your step, freak, or I'll dice you into turtle soup," Xever threatened, then cleared his throat. "You know the Purple Dragons?"

Raph scoffed, "Those _morons?_ Don't tell me you're having trouble with _them_."

"Donatello and I were out on a patrol yesterday, and we ran into their leader," Xever went on, ignoring Raph's comment. "It was a brief encounter, and I wasn't really worried...until I realized that she had stolen something off me."

"You let a Purple Dragon steal from you..." Raph muttered.

"The _leader of the Purple Dragons_ isn't as idiotic as her _underlings_," Xever explained slowly. "Understand?"

Raph guffawed. "Sure, buddy. But why come to me? Why don't you ask Bradford or something? I didn't think _you_ would stoop to asking a freak like _me_ for _help_."

"I wasn't exactly in the mood to be made fun of," Xever retorted. "But I see now that that is rather unavoidable."

"Pfft, uh, _yeah._" Raph rolled his eyes, and crossed his arms. "Alright, tough guy, whaddaya need?"

Xever grinned. "I was hoping you and I could go in and...take back what was stolen. Maybe cripple the Purple Dragons and strike them at the heart if we have the time...some blood and revenge. Nothing we aren't used to."


	4. Chapter 4

Don bit back a gulp when he realized that he was now alone with Shredder. His master was circling him and inspecting him with a scrutinizing glare, which, needless to say, made the turtle kind of uncomfortable.

"So, are you going to tell me who she is, or am I going to have to beat it out of you?"

Don shifted from foot to foot, "I...still don't know what you're talking about."

Shredder scowled, and Donnie yelped as another stinging pain jabbed him, right on his leg. "_Gah!_" He smarted under the blow, bringing his knee up to his chest and clutching the injury.

This time, Shredder did not sheathe his claws. "You know _exactly_ what I'm talking about. The _girl. Who is she?_"

Donnie coughed a bit and stepped back, "Oh, _that_ girl!" he let out a nervous laugh. "She's nobody. Just some...random girl I saw on the street. Didn't even...really talk to her."

In a flash, Shredder had brought his leg up in a roundhouse-kick. It caught Don right in the head, and he crumpled to the ground. Shredder was right - D was distracted. He should've been able to dodge at least _one_ of Shredder's attacks by now. But that girl from last night was taking up all his thinking capacity. He was living in a haze. And now he was paying for it.

"You wouldn't have any reason to be acting so guilty if it was just a 'random girl'," Shredder observed darkly. He went in for another kick, but this time, Don rolled out of the way; the turtle landed in a crouching position and whipped out his staff.

"Guilty?" Don laughed, talking about three times as fast as he normally did. "I'm not acting guilty, just embarrassed. It's kind of a...private matter," he stated, desperately searching for some way out of this confrontation. "And, heh, I just...hey!" he barely managed to dodge the slash that was headed his way. The turtle scrambled to his feet and twirled his staff, going in for a blow; but Shredder had flipped out of the way and was already behind him. This time, the Shredder's powerful kick-to-the-shell hit home, and Don went sailing into the wall again.

"I don't care how private the matter is," Shredder replied. "You will divulge to me all that you know about this girl."

Don picked himself up off the floor slowly, leaning on the wall for support. "You know, I know lots of things," he stated. "...I could divulge all that I know to you about the laws devised by Isaac Newton, or the biochemical processes that take place inside of a plant...I mean, heh, why would you want information about the girl when I have libraries of more interesting information right he-" he went wide-eyed and froze as two of the Shredder's blades embedded themselves in the wall, one on either side of his head. His breaths became more shallow as the middle-blade began to slide out towards Don's face.

"Stop, stop, I'll tell you!" Donatello conceded, his voice coming out about an octave higher than normal. This wasn't even worth it anymore. "I'll tell you all I know about her!"

Shredder narrowed his eyes, not moving his Tekko-kagi one inch. "I'm waiting."

Don swallowed with some effort. "Sh-She's...a member of the Purple Dragons..." he winced. "...well...actually...she's their leader..."

Shredder's piercing gaze did not waver; he continued to leer at Don expectantly.

"I met her last night, on a patrol with Xever," D went on apprehensively. "We were looking for leads on Hamato Yoshi, as usual, but..." he paused. "We ran into the Purple Dragons instead."

Shredder took a step back, sheathing his claws. "Would I be correct in assuming that this love is unrequited, then?"

Don blinked. "I...I don't know, I mean, I would assume...it's not like I asked or...I guess...I mean...there's-there's always hope-"

"Keep in mind what it is that you _are_," Shredder cut in callously. "A hideous _reptile_. A _mutant turtle_. A decent amount of _humans_ have difficulties in courtship...so give me one reason for why _you_ would stand a chance."

Donatello smarted under the harsh words. "I-I thought-Maybe she would...see past the surface..."

"And if she _doesn't?_"

No response.

Shredder scowled again. "Exactly." he paused momentarily, and then heaved a sigh. "Can you not see? These emotions make you vulnerable, _weaker_ than you already are. The _object of your affection_ will use that _against_ you - how many Foot Clan secrets do you think she could manipulate you into revealing? How long do you think you would allow her to twist your brain, before finally becoming _aware_ of that manipulation?" he cast a wistful gaze to the side, as if he were recalling old memories. "These emotions are natural, Donatello, but they are _blinding_." his eyes glinted darkly. "And if you are not careful, you are going to get _hurt_."


	5. Chapter 5

Karai was sitting on the loveseat when her father came into the main room. She snatched up one of Miwa's stupid teen magazines and hid behind it, but it did nothing to conceal her taciturn demeanor.

She could feel his eyes burning holes straight through the stupid flimsy paper. Approximately 60 seconds passed, but it felt like an eternity. Finally, Hamato Yoshi sighed and turned to leave.

She could hear the laughter and noise emanating from the kitchen. She could picture the colorful balloons, and the birthday cake, and the small mound of presents stacked by the doorway. She could smell the burnt candles slowly melting into liquid wax.

She could sense a presence outside the front door - and a slight rapping on the window. Nonchalantly slapping the magazine onto the coffee table, Karai rose from her seat and maneuvered around the furniture to reach the door. She paused and leaned against it for a moment...before slamming it open and whipping out her white tessen with a metallic _shing_. Her eyes widened when she saw who it was, and her breath caught in her throat.

"Sl..._Slash_..."

"Karai," the muscular mutant turtle dipped his head in a gruff greeting. "Wow, look at'cha, you sure have grown a lot. How old are ya now? Sixteen?"  
"Uh...yeah," Karai replied, still staring at Slash in disbelief. "...In fact, _Miwa_ turns sixteen today."  
Slash laughed, craning his neck to glimpse the source of the cheer and noise inside the house. "Sweet sixteen in the kitchen, huh? Fancy. I like it."

Karai stared some more. "You...said you were leaving for good, though..."

"Well, originally, I was. I'm a bit of a loner anyway, and it's not safe for me to stay here; I would attract too much attention. And I know attention is the last thing yer dad wants, with that crazy Foot Clan runnin' all over the place..."

Karai scowled, a hint of resentment in her tone. "Yeah. Yeah, he'd hate that."

"...but I just found out some...interesting news. Ya might wanna hear it."

Karai narrowed her eyes. "Alright. But not here," she cast an uneasy glance back at the kitchen. "You, me, the roof, now. We can discuss things up there."

Slash settled down near one of the air vents on the roof, leaning his shell against it and crossing his arms. Karai appeared shortly, and her footfalls were soundless as she made her way over to Slash, placing one hand on her hip.

"So," she breathed, looking him over once more. "You look well."

"Never been better," Slash replied, giving the kunoichi his own evaluation. "And the same to you. Last time I saw ya, you almost cut yerself open with that tessen. Ya seem to have gotten the hang of it, though."

"I've been training a lot," Karai responded, lowering her gaze. "Father wants us to be able to hold our own in a fight."

"Well, ya might end up havin' to put those skills to use," he stated darkly. "I know where that strange glowing stuff that mutated me came from. I know who's responsible. And yer sister is in even more danger than you."

Karai raised a brow. "Okay, you've gotten my attention."

"I was patrollin' the streets of New York, like always, when I came across a secret base...under the guise of a company called 'TCRI'."

"TCRI..." Karai murmured. "I've heard that name before. That corporation with the strange logo and the giant skyscraper..."

Slash sighed, "Yeah, Karai, you just described 90% of the companies in New York." he started nonchalantly pounding his morningstar against the palm of his hand. "But, yeah, that's the one."

Karai looked at him, "Please, do go on."

"This is gonna be...kinda hard to believe," he warned. "but that company is secretly run by a race of aliens that call themselves the _Kraang_. They're the ones that created the mutagen, they're the ones responsible for the kidnappings-"

"Kidnappings," Karai cut in. "You mean all the strange disappearances over the past decade and a half?"

"Yeah, the Kraang is behind all of it. And your sister, she-"

"Heads up!" came a voice from somewhere nearby - a severed robot noggin came sailing from nowhere and bonked Slash in the head. The spiky mutant turtle fumbled with it for a second before getting a good grip on it, and recognition registered on his expression as he gazed into the droid's dying magenta eyes. They flickered for about second longer before winking out completely.

Karai stared at the metallic silver head in astonishment. "..._Slash?_"

Another instant and they were on top of them - a battalion of identical droids, each equipped with their own blaster gun, and each with their own personal tentacle-brain embedded in their chests.

"Look, Leo, there are _people_ on this roof!" came the same voice that had given Slash the _'heads-up'_ warning. Karai's gaze followed the source of the voice back to the roof adjacent to theirs. Only a narrow alleyway served as a gap between the buildings. The roof of the other building was only slightly more elevated than the one Karai, Slash and the robots were on, but it was just high enough to make the two giant turtles on top of it look even more menacing. Both donned jet black masks, with cold white eyes and wraps on their arms and legs. Even at this distance, Karai could tell that they were rugged and muscular. And they weren't like Slash, but they were most definitely turtles. She could see the shells on their backs, and the greenish hue of their skin.

One murmured something to the other, but Karai couldn't make much of it. The two seemed to have a deep, morally significant conversation within the exchange of a few sentences; the next thing she knew, they were turning and running the other way, skipping across rooftops like grasshoppers. The two turtles were obviously leaving Karai and Slash to fend for themselves. One of them cast a wistful expression over his shoulder - Karai could've sworn he was looking right at her - and she had never before seen so much regret and conflict condensed into a single glance.


	6. Chapter 6

Raphael was in the middle of his most favorite pastime - crouching next to Xever in the shadows of an alley, in an extremely bad mood, with an extremely empty stomach. Joy and happiness served up with a side of rainbow-sparkle fries.

"Alright," Xever said, running a hand through his dark hair. "We go in, wreak some havoc, and draw Little Miss Queen-of-the-Purple-Dragons out of her hidey-hole, or her throne room, or wherever it is that she uses to cower in fear from her adversaries."

"You haven't even told me what the stupid thing she stole is," Raph growled impatiently, twirling his sais on his fingers. "Can't we just start stabbing people?"

"I...can't tell you what she stole..." Xever responded, obviously choosing his words carefully. "But, yes, stabbing people is the general idea."

"Great," Raph deadpanned, flipping his sais and holding them in reverse-grip. "It's been a while since I've been allowed to beat the crap out of some witless morons."

Xever rolled his eyes. "Let's just go." he dashed out of the alleyway, a slender silhouette in the black of night. Pressing himself against the wall of the targeted abandoned warehouse, he glanced around cautiously. Raph was right on his heels, and the two zipped inside without a trace of them left behind.

The mismatched duo climbed into the rafters, on opposite sides of the room now. Raph's eyes landed on some movement below him - a gaggle of scrawny Dragons gathered in a huddle and murmuring lowly to each other.

Raph dropped down on one of the Dragons' shoulders, and he instantly crumpled under the turtle's weight; meanwhile, Xever had dropped in on the other side of the huddle, knocking several off their feet with an effortless sweeping kick.

Raph socked another in the jaw. And then there was one.

The remaining Purple Dragon stared at them with wide-eyes...then retreated into one of the back rooms with his tail between his legs.

Raph flexed his neck with an audible _crack_. "Well, it was nice playing tea-party with you, Xever. Are we done here?"

"Not yet," Xever replied, eyes glinting in the darkness. "We have to lure the leader out, first. The runt that we let get away will be our sentry."

Raph sighed. "Fine, let's get it over with. This is more boring than one of Donnie's science lectures."

A piercing wail cut through their conversation, emanating from one of the back rooms where their 'sentry' had disappeared. There was a slight whimpering noise, some low voices. A heavy silence fell over the warehouse. It was tense. Deadly.

And then she emerged: fair skin, hazel eyes. Her jet black hair was streaked with purple; she kept it short and spiky. She wore a black, form-fitting, sleeveless outfit - leggings, boots, a purple sash. Several silver studs and rings adorned each of her pierced ears. One couldn't help but notice the two razor-sharp knives strapped to her sides. Despite her short stature, she somehow managed to maintain a threatening demeanor. She was more than just a street thug. She was a crime lord.

"Well, well," Raph muttered. "You must be-"

"Irma," Xever breathed, his eyes trained on the leader of the Purple Dragons like no one else in the world existed.

Raph shot him a quizzical look, which was promptly ignored. The black-masked turtle grunted, twirling his sais again. "Alright, lady, just give back whatcha stole, and I'll make your pain less excruciating."

Irma raised a brow and snickered. "Stole?" she gave a knowing smirk. "Xever, is that the best you could come up with?"

Raph scoffed, tightening the grip on his weapons. "What the shell is she talkin' about, Xever?"

"Well, it worked, didn't it?" Xever looked at Irma, still ignoring the mutant turtle.

"Xever!" Raph snarled, slamming his companion against the wall and holding a sai up to his neck. "Unless you want my _sai_ up your _throat_, I suggest you _tell me what's going on_."

"See?" Xever laughed, not seeming fazed by the threat at all. "I told you he was slow."

"Wha-" Raph never got to finish his train of thought, much less his sentence - he felt a sudden, sharp, stinging pain in his arm. He looked down at his shoulder to glimpse what had pierced the skin, with the intention of removing it.

His arm had already started aching, and he felt his vision becoming slightly blurred...but he still had enough energy to widen his eyes in horror as he plucked the tranquilizing dart from his shoulder.


	7. Chapter 7

Leo was perched on the ledge of an apartment building, staring at Antonio's Pizza-rama intently as he witnessed customers filter in and out of the building. The restaurant's interior seemed so cheerful and inviting, compared to the bleak, dim street lights of the outside world. Steam was fogging up the already-hazy windows. Warmth seemed to emanate from the restaurant itself.

"Duuuuude..." Mikey drooled. "I can smell the gooey goodness from all the way up here!"

"...Yeah..." Leo consented distractedly, resting an arm on his knee as he crouched and continued to observe the building from aloft.

Mikey frowned, glancing from his brother, to Antonio's, then back to his brother again. "Um...so...is there a game plan or...? We just go for it?" he knew that as unofficial leader of the group, Leo usually got upset when the team went charging off with no direction. That had been established long, long ago. No one ever disregarded the eldest's orders now...even _Raph_ had developed a kind of respect for Leo, albeit a little less consistent than that of the others.

Leo blinked. "Oh." a frown tilted at the edge of his mouth. "Uh, yeah. Standard procedure. Go in, snag a couple boxes, get out."

Mikey nodded vigorously. "You got it, dude!"

With one swift movement, the turtles had dropped to ground-level; Mikey peered in through one of the restaurant windows and started slobbering all over the glass. "Leo! They're makin' a double pepperoni with anchovies and mushrooms! We gotta get that one!"

"Alright, Mikey," Leo conceded tiredly, looking around warily. "Follow my...lead..." he trailed off as his gaze fell on something...very strange. A pale man in a suit...lifeless eyes. Expressionless features. It was...odd, to say the least. Suspicious. Something was off. Leo frowned. "Follow that man." Without waiting for any response, he dashed off, making sure to keep to the shadows. He rolled behind a trashcan and peered at the weird man - he was climbing into a white van. Leo narrowed his eyes, springing from his position, flipping midair and alighting soundlessly atop the vehicle. He leaned forward and hung upside down over the back to get a glimpse of what was being stored in the back.

Robot aliens. With blasters.

His eyes widened, and he almost fell off the car. He flailed his arms around to regain his balance, and crouched down, trying to process what he'd just seen.

Michelangelo blinked, "Leo, wait!" he called, chasing after his brother. Whipping out his nunchucks, he spun the chain around and flung it at the van. It soared through the air until Leo caught it, so that he had one end of the chain, and Mikey had the other. Instant tether.

"Hurry, Mikey!" Leo hissed, hearing the engines of the vehicle revving up.

Mikey huffed. The van was already moving. "It's too far, I can't make it!" he whimpered, legs still pumping.

"Listen to me, you can-" Leo was cut off as the van hit a bump in the road. The vehicle shuddered, and Leo rattled inside his shell, struggling to stay on. "You can do it!"

Mikey whimpered again, accidentally knocking over the trashcan that Leo had been hiding behind earlier. The lid rolled into the middle of the street, and Michelangelo almost tripped on it. He tried to jump over it, but ended up landing on it instead. The metal made an unpleasant screeching noise under his feet as he was pulled along by the van. Boom. Water-skiing on asphalt.

"Whoa! This is so awesome!" Mikey wailed, watching as sparks started to fly out from under him and the street grinded the metal.

"Mikey, be quiet!" Leo snapped, but it was too late. The back of the van opened up to reveal the robot-aliens...metallic droids with brains in their chests. Pink blaster fire sprayed the streets.

Mikey stared in a mix of awe and horror as a neon pink laser-show exploded in his face. "Leeeeooo!" he screeched, ducking just in time to avoid a hot pink blast.

Leo stood on top of the van, his form silhouetted against the dark of the night. In a flash of silver, his katana were out. He got down on one knee, raised the blades, and then dug them into the top of the van with superfluous force. Two droids were impaled right then and there - they fizzled and smoked, and then crumpled to the ground. Leo was already using the katana to saw a circular hole in the roof of the vehicle.

Seconds later, he was dropping down into the back of the van, his swords slashing the droids to pieces in mere instants. His legs sliced through the air like a pinwheel as he delivered a brain-scattering kick to the last one standing.

He gave Mikey a small salute, then poked his head into the front of the van. He glanced at the driver - it was the man in the suit from earlier. "Excuse me, I was just wondering: are you human?"

The man's head rotated ninety degrees - a small, incomprehensible beeping emanated from him.

"Yeah, that's what I thought." one swift swipe, and the last of the droids was decapitated. "Just making sure." The driver's body went limp. With a bone-rattling jolt, the van came to an abrupt stop. Leo jerked forward slightly, but managed to maintain his footing. A few curls of smoke escaped into the night air, but other than that, everything was still.

Michelangelo gaped for all of about five seconds, before exploding into a celebratory party-machine. "BAM, _what?!_ Turtles 1-0!" he paused. "No, wait, that has to be worth at least 5 points! Turtles 5-0! Woop!"

Leo knelt down, scraping a finger through the thin layer of droid-ash and examining it suspiciously. "...What the heck were those things?" he murmured, almost inaudibly.

"Uh, Leo," Mikey looked around uneasily. "Whatever they were, there's more of them!"

Leo's head snapped up, "_What?_"

A chorus of bleeps and alien-like screeches confirmed that, and Leo poked his head out the van to glimpse the circle of droids surrounding them.

"Uh, ret-row..." Mikey muttered, assuming a defensive position.

Leo glanced around uneasily - a gaggle of human teenagers not too far off gawked, then sprinted off in a panicked frenzy. "No, Mikey, not here," the leader insisted, sheathing his katana and dashing out of the van. "We're too exposed." he jerked his head upwards. "Get to the rooftops."

In seconds, the pair was at the roofs, flipping through the air with a parade of alien-droids trailing behind them. Mikey whirled around on one leg to throw his nunchucks; the chain acted like a lasso and jerked one of the robot-heads clean off. He yanked back, and the head sailed through the air.

"Mikey," Leo called, then pointed at a rooftop with one of his katanas. The dismembered-droid noggin was heading right for two figures - one looked human, but the other...was another _turtle?_

"Oh..." Mikey grimaced. "Oh! Heads up!" he warned, a little too late. The noggin bonked the spiky one right in the head.

"...He'll live," Leo decided, grabbing Mikey by the arm and dragging him to the edge of the roof. "Come on." Letting go of his brother, the leader leaped into the air, alighting on a roof adjacent from the human and the spiky turtle. Mikey followed, and the brothers perched on the cement ledge, providing an excellent view of the scene unfolding beneath them. By now, the droids were congregated around the human girl and her companion. They looked poised to rip each other to pieces.

"This is wrong," Leo muttered resentfully. "Those two are in for a world of trouble because we led a legion of robot-aliens right to them."

"Uh, _yeah,_" Mikey replied. "So let's do something about it!" he whirled his nunchucks, crouching in a ready-position. Leo gazed at him sadly, knowing that all he had to do was give the order.

He narrowed his eyes, "...Shredder will have our shells if we come home with a bunch of weird alien droids on our tails."

Mikey's nunchucks froze mid-twirl, and the turtle's shoulders drooped. "Yeah...that's true..."

Leo clenched his fists. "We're going home."

"...But...we never even got any pi-"

"Us. Home. _Now_."

"Right," Mikey conceded fretfully, knitting his brows and leaping after his brother. This was a bit uncharacteristic of the eldest turtle - despite what Shredder tried to teach them, he was always noble enough to put the needs of others above his own. He played by the rules, but Shredder's policies never ranked higher than his ethics. Leo would always get in trouble for it, but that's the way it worked. For the leader to run away so quickly like that...something was obviously up. They dashed forth at an impressive speed until they were only a block away from Foot Headquarters.

Leo paused, looking down at Shredder's clock-tower disdainfully. He looked so much older in the silvery moonlight - like a seasoned warrior who'd seen lots of people die. "...The way she looked at me..."

Mikey quirked a brow, tapping his six fingers together worriedly. "Uh...are you okay, dude?"

Leo shot him a serious look. "Yeah. Peachy." he paused again. "You go on ahead." he decided, eyes glinting darkly. "I have something to take care of, first."


	8. Chapter 8

Donatello exited the throne room looking and feeling utterly dejected. Maybe Shredder was right. Maybe she would never love him back. Maybe it just wasn't meant to be. His brothers were nowhere to be seen - they probably went to go get some pizza without him. Typical. The turtle sighed, walking out the building and crouching just outside the clock-tower, in deep contemplation. The only logical option was to forget the whole thing and carry on. But the thought of her was driving him crazy, and he felt like he wouldn't be able to think straight for the rest of his life if this kept up. If he ever wanted to have inner peace again, he would have to see her at least one last time...and that was logical in its own right.

He set his jaw determinedly...he was going to go see her again. He would find out for himself whether or not it was meant to be. And getting hurt in the process was better than living with the knowledge that he hadn't tried at all.

Finding the Purple Dragons' base wasn't that difficult. Don simply traced his steps from the place where he'd first met her...scouting out the area revealed several decrepit, abandoned buildings, and from there it was the process of elimination. His investigation brought him to an old warehouse - the thing was sturdy, but not very fun to look at.

Infiltrating the base wasn't much of a problem, either. The Purple Dragons were idiots, all of them except Irma. He was able to get past them without so much as an inkling of trouble.

He thoroughly explored all the rooms of the warehouse from the cover of the shadows, until there was only one room left to explore.

Irma's throne room, no doubt.

The turtle stepped inside boldly, no longer bothering with his tactical stealth. He wanted her to know he was here.

The lights flickered on, and sure enough, there she was. Draped across her throne as though she were a universal monarch.

"Donatello," she smiled sweetly, beckoning him closer with one finger.

Now, Don didn't really know what he had been expecting, but this certainly wasn't it. A nuclear explosion of emotions went off in his chest, and he remained paralyzed for several moments. This was so...strange.

Irma's expression dissolved into a half-lidded frown, "Well, come on, Donnie, I don't have all day."

As if she had some sort of gravitational hold on him, he took a few steps forward. "Irma..." he murmured. "Why are you-what am I-"

"Why am I not calling my henchmen to sic ya?" she shrugged. "Because my henchmen are idiots and they couldn't take you on if I wanted them to. So, what do they always say? If ya can' beat 'em..."

"Join 'em?"

Irma quirked a brow and smirked, "...Something like that."

"You mean you-you actually-"

"Like you?" Irma giggled a bit. "You really are too cute, Donatello."

Don blinked, feeling his face heat up in a display of crimson cherry blush. "Well I...but I'm...you're..."

"A Purple Dragon. Your enemy. I'm only going to use you?" she laughed. "That's what Shredder tells you anyway, isn't it?"

Don started to feel a bit unsteady on his own feet. No, this was _definitely_ not what he was expecting. And now that she was being so open with him, he didn't know h-how-t-to-feee-e-el...

Somehow, she had rematerialized behind the turtle, and was now effectively administering the most epic massage in the history of epic massages. "You're so..._tense_, Donnie. Loosen up a bit, will ya?"

By now, he was melting under her powerful grip. "Y-Yeah...I guess I c-could...j-just...um..." he had forgotten what he was about to say. _I'm sure if it was important, it will come back to me..._ he reassured himself vaguely.

"I've...heard a lot about you, Donnie," Irma whispered enticingly. "So intelligent, that brilliant mind of yours. So...cunning and swift. And you know how to use that bo staff better than anyone, no doubt."

Donatello did not deny any of this. He couldn't have denied it if he wanted to, actually. His brain was already fried beyond repair; much too fried to form any complex thoughts, contradictions or protests.

"...However..." Irma went on, apparently not finished yet. "...you're much too..._noble_ for my liking, Donnie. You're...a real _sweetheart_. But my future king needs to be _corrupt to the bones._"

That was the first time that Don truly sensed something was wrong. A sudden chill ran up his shell. It was as though someone had dropped a cold stone in his stomach. He didn't like it. This was wrong. It felt wrong. He narrowed his eyes, and mustered the strength to push her away. "I'm not going to do something evil for you, Irma."

The purple-haired girl paused, blinked, then guffawed. "You would do something evil for _Shredder._ But apparently not for me."

Don opened his mouth to protest. No words came out.

"What crime hasn't Shredder made you commit? What evil haven't you accomplished because your master ordered you to? Can you look me in the eye and tell me that you've never stolen? Never lied? Never cheated or murdered?" when Donnie still offered no reply, she laughed again. "Of course you have. Because Shredder didn't give you an _option._ Shredder thinks he's the good guy, but you and I know full well that he's not. Don't you understand, Donnie? You were born in an evil world, in an evil city, to an evil master. The evil is unavoidable, so why are you resisting it? Why do you insist on clinging to what pathetic little goodness you have left? It's utterly _pointless_."

Don felt another chill running through his body, like an electric shock. His articulateness had abandoned him. He was completely dumbfounded.

"The only difference between me and Shredder, Donnie..." Irma smirked. "...is that _I_ have your heart."


	9. Chapter 9

Slash grunted. "Looks like it's just me, you, and a bunch of Kraang-droids, Karai."

"These are those...aliens you were telling me about?" Karai guessed.

"Yeah."  
"Awesome." she sighed, whipping out her white tessen. "Wanna bet those...turtle things we saw are somehow behind this?"

"Probably," Slash replied, bashing one of the droids on the head with his morningstar.

They started trashing some robots, and with a start, Karai realized that this was her first _real_ battle. True, she had knocked a couple of thugs out before, but that didn't really count. _This_ battle actually required a bit of effort, or at least more than usual.

It required effort, but it wasn't life-threatening...they were already down to the last droid. But a silver katana impaled the robot before Karai could get to it.

She looked up - it had been one of the turtle things from earlier.

Karai didn't quite know what to say at first. But after a few seconds, she had some choice words for him.

"_You_," she narrowed her eyes hostilely. "Who the heck are you? What did you do?"

The stranger raised a brow at her. But even in the pale moonlight...Karai could tell that he was blushing wildly. "My name is Leonardo."

Karai snorted. "Da Vinci?"

The stranger crossed his arms. "No relation."

Karai nodded slightly, giving him a once-over. "Then why don't I just call you Leo?"

Leonardo shrugged indifferently. "You wouldn't be the first."

Slash grunted again. "Stop flirting with him, Karai." he looked right at Leo solemnly. "What were you doing playing around with a bunch of Kraang droids?"

"I saw a suspicious-looking man in a suit and I followed him," Leo answered simply. "He led me straight to a van full of weird brain-robots."

"So you led them here and dumped them on us?" Karai fumed. "What a gentleman."

Leo turned a shade darker. "I came back, didn't I?" he paused, looking off to the side awkwardly. "...And I never caught your names..."

"My name's Karai," the girl replied. "And this is Slash." she gestured to her companion. "He used to be a pet turtle, but then he fell in a puddle of glowing green goo." she stopped for a few seconds, examining him closely. "...Sound familiar?" she ventured.

Leo nodded. "...Yeah, actually. Very." he faltered briefly. "Wait...did you say your name was _Karai_?"

She nodded. "Um, yes."

Leo massaged his temples as the faintest trace of an idea danced at the edge of his memory. He couldn't quite grasp it. "Sounds familiar. Your name, I mean." he frowned. "Welp, that's gonna haunt me for the rest of my life. What now?"

"I have an idea," Slash piped up. "Have you ever heard of a company called 'TCRI'?"


	10. Chapter 10

In a small, quaint kitchen in a little apartment in the Big Apple, there sat a redheaded, blue-eyed girl at a table. She was turning sixteen today. It was a small party. No one was attending other than her parents and a few close friends.

First there was Venus de Milo, Miwa's best friend since Junior High. Venus was a tall, lithe, dark haired girl, with fair skin and crystal blue eyes that reminded you of a midsummer sky. Miwa's birthday wouldn't have been complete without her.

Then there was Mona; her family had moved into the apartment, on the floor just above the Hamatos, about a year ago, and the two girls had become good friends ever since. Unlike Venus's straight, jet black locks, Mona had cinnamon brown ringlets of hair that complemented her hazel eyes.

And then Casey Jones. Hockey player. Dark hair, dark eyes, gaps in his teeth. And kind of...cute.

Miwa's sister was supposed to be here, too. Allegedly.

"Wait...Where's Karai?" Miwa asked, looking around.

Tang-Shen frowned. "Is she not in the other room?"

"That is what I thought," Yoshi cut in, stepping into the kitchen. "But I just checked...she is not anywhere in the apartment."

Miwa winced...and suddenly she felt the strangest sensation...It was almost like she could _sense_ where her sister was.

She massaged her temples. "Not _in_ the apartment..._on_ it."

Yoshi raised a brow at her, but made no comment on it. "I will check the roof. The rest of you stay here...enjoy some cake."

He made his way swiftly up to the roof of the apartment, with the speed of a ninja master. His legs pumped, his eyes darted back and forth, on high alert. Not swift enough, though - by the time he reached the roof, she was already gone.

Hamato Yoshi narrowed his eyes - he was certain he could see three silhouettes dashing across rooftops and disappearing into the distance.

One girl and two turtles.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Miwa poked at her slice of cake halfheartedly. "...This doesn't feel right."

Venus knit her brows sympathetically, setting her own slice on the counter and pushing it aside. "I'm sure your sister will turn up soon."

"Yeah," Mona piped up. "Maybe she ran out to get you a last-minute birthday present."

Miwa stirred uncomfortably. "Yeah...maybe..."

Casey laid a hand on her shoulder, "Hey, Red. I don't know your sister that well, but I _do_ know that she cares about you. She wouldn't be missing your party unless it was something important. And in the meantime..." he gave her a gap-toothed grin. "_Casey Jones_ is here to keep you company."

Miwa couldn't help but crack a little smile.

And then Yoshi reentered the kitchen. He paused, and looked carefully around the room. "Karai is...preparing...a surprise for you, Miwa." he quirked a brow at Miwa and her hockey-playing companion. "And Mr. Jones...please remove your hand from my daughter's shoulder before I chop it off."

Casey laughed nervously. "A-heheh."

Yoshi frowned, then looked at Tang-Shen, bemused. "He thinks I am joking."

Miwa stood up, politely stepping away from Casey. "You know, guys...suddenly I'm not feeling too well," she murmured. "I...I think I need to lie down for a bit."

Everyone frowned.

"You...sure, Miwa?" Venus asked concernedly.

"Yeah," Miwa replied, already heading out the kitchen door. "Yeah, I'll be in my room...don't wait up for me if I take too long..."

The ginger escaped to her bedroom, barely taking note of her surroundings. The walls were painted a pale yellow. A mirror hung over a white dresser off to one side, and on the opposite wall was the door to a closet. Smack dab in the middle of it all rested her bed, draped with fresh white sheets. And pinned just above the bed's wooden frame, in all its subtle beauty, was a gorgeous, deadly black tessen, spread out like a peacock's feathers. Upon it, a family crest that resembled a bumpy circle...the Hamato emblem.

The Japanese war fan had been a gift from her father.

She took it down and admired its dark sheen...then slid it into her right sleeve with the clandestinity of a kunoichi.

Venus frowned, "Where're you going, Miwa?"

"Venus...?" The redhead perked up and spun around. "Why are you in my room?" she shot back defensively. "I said I wasn't feeling well."

"I told everybody I'd come make sure you were okay," Venus stepped forward and pressed a hand against Miwa's forehead. "Hmm...you feel fine to me."

Miwa gently pushed her dark-haired friend away. "It's just a bit of a headache."

"Is that why you hid that fan in your sleeve?"

Miwa's eyes widened, then subsequently narrowed, "Wha-how long have you been standing there?"

"Long enough."

"Somehow I knew you were going to say that..."

"So where are you REALLY going?"

"To look for my sister," Miwa slid open her bedroom window and placed one foot on the sill, implying that she meant to exit the room that way.

Venus knit her brows, "But...your dad said she went to prepare a surprise for you."

Miwa scoffed. "Yeah, and I'm a giant mutant turtle with a morningstar," she quipped sarcastically. "He was _lying_."

Venus quirked a brow, "Giant mutant-?"

Miwa waved an arm dismissively, "Don't ask. The point is that I'm looking for Karai. And don't try to stop me."

"...Okay..." Venus looked around the room briefly, then glanced back at Miwa. "...Can I come?"


End file.
